Uncoupling mechanism.



J. & W. KELSO.

UNGOUPLING MECHANISM. APPLIUATION FILED IULYSI, 1911.

Patented July 9, 1912.

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a. a; W. KELSU. UNGOUPLING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 31,1911.

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J. & W. KELSO.

UNOOUPLING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY31,1911.

Patented July 9, 1912.

3 BHEETS-SHEET 3.

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Specification oi Letters Iatent. Patented Julyg, @912. Application one m 31, zen. seen so, 641,604.

ihi-s invention relates to the construction of uncoupling mechanism for efiecting the unlocking of our couplers and is particularly designed to afford simple and eflicient means for unlocking couplers which, as a whole, are capable of a pivotal or swinging movel, ment with respect to the body of the car td which the coupler is attached and in which I the heed of the coupler is movably mounted on the coupler stem or shank.

To efiect the object of our inventlon, the

uncoupling mechanism generally stated,. comprises a slidable and axially rotatable shaft or uncoupling her that provided with s ourved-crenkpo-ition whichengeges the coupler lock, the latter being slidably' connected to the curved crank of the uncou- 3 pling shaft, end said shaft being rotatable upon its axis either from the side of the car, through the instrumentelity' of a rocking uncouplin lever, or from the platform of the car, through the instrument-ality of a vertically extending rotatable stall.

in the drawings chosen for the purpose of illustrating our invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims, Figure 1 is a plan view of on uncoupling mechanism embodying our invention, showing its relation to the coupler and to the car platform, a portion of the vertically extending operating stefi being omitted; Fig. 2 is a. view,

-. partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, showing the uncoupling mechanism, coupler and cercplatform illustrated .1I1,.Flg.

1; Fig. 3 is ,1; detail side elevation of'the coupler and a portion of the uncoupling mechsnisin; Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of the coupler and the adjacent portion of the uncoupling mechanism; Fig. 5 is a detail front elevation of the devices by which the slideble uncoupling bar, rotatable operating sta and rocking uncoupling lever are 0peretiv ely connected; Fig. 6 is a, detail side elevation of the devices illustrated in Fig. 5;-

Fig. 7 is a. detail plan view of the devices illustrated in Fig. 5; Fig. 8 is a detail view, pang in rear elevation and partly I-iD verticahxsection, showing the parts illustrated in Fig. 5; Fig. 9 is a detail front elevation showing a modified form of means for operatively connectingthe slidcble uncoupling bar, rotatable operating stall and rocking uncou ling lever, and Fig. 10 is a detail side elevation of the device illustrated in Fig. 9. Like symbols refer to like parts wherever thev occur.

e will now proceed to describe our in vention more fully so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the coupler head and\2 the coupler stem, these parts being pivotally connected, as by means of a vertical pivot pin 3, and the rear end of the coupler shank or stem 2 being also preferably pivotally connected to the car body. The particular forms of laterally swinging coupler and pivotully mounted coupler head shown in the drawings by way of example are illustrated and described in dot-ail in Patent No. 950,485, William Kel'so, March 1, 1910, and, therefore, such parts will not be further described herein.

Pivotally mounted upon the upper face of the coupler head 1, as by means of the pivot pin 3' which connects the coupler head to the coupler stem, is :i plzite or bracket 4 which supports an uncoupling bar 5 that extends transversely. of the car. In .order to prevent thehorizontally extending uncoupling bar 5 from becoming disassociated from the swiveled supporting plate 4 when the device is in service, as well as for the purpose of allowing the uncoupling bar to rotate upon its axis, the swiveled supporting plate is preferably provided at opposite sides with upwardly and rearwardly ex tending lugs or hooks 4 to the rear of which are vertically extending lugs or stops 4".

relation with respect to the plate 4 .and being retained in proper assembled relation to the swiveledplute 4 by means of the rearwardly extending portions of the hooks l' are at its lower end with a rigidly attached driving lug or finger 18 which may be convert iently maintained on said stall by means of rocking'thc uneouplii'ig bar and raising the coupler loek 1 to unlocked position.

in assembling the unlocking mechanism the. sleeve or thimble 7, illustrated in Figs 1 to 8, inclusive, oi"; the drawings, is-inserted in the corresponding cylindrical aperture of the supporting member 8, the hooked end 10" of the unroimliug lever it) is inserted in the eve 7" of thesleeve member and the squared end 5 of the section. 5 of the uncoupling bar is then passed through the thimble 7. 'lhe crank portion .3 ot the uncoupling; bar is then pt'isitioned between the lugs is and l ol the swivelerl supporting plate l and the eve 5 ot the section 5 of the uncoupling bar is then pas ed over the vertiially extending cylindrical end of the other uncoupling bar seeti n, the cotter 5 being thereailter inserted to maintain the connection oi. the two sections ol the uneoupling bar. The vertically extruding shall El, to which the driving linger 1 3 has been previously secured, is then passed through the stal'l' receiving opening 8 in the supporting member 8 and the handle '17 is secured .to the upper end of said stall'. The modified form of construction illustrated in l ig'S. 9 and 10 is assembled in sub-:tanlially the same manner.

,in uncoupling mechanism constructed in avian-dance with our invention readily adapts itselt to the various positions which the co" pler may assume in service, thus permuting the coupler to be easily uulorkral at any time. By supporting the uneoupliinz bar 5 upon the plate which is mounted upon lh pivot: pin 3 that laerv s to connect the coupler head to the stem 2 and by to ing the crank 5 of tae uncoupling bar a arc of a circle having its center in or sub stantially in the axis of the pivot pin 3, the connection between the 1 iipler lock 1 and the segmental crank ii on which it is slidably mounted is maintained when the coupler head 1 turns upon the pivot pin 3, and the coupler may be readily unlocked by a rot1a tion of the uncoupling bar 5' upon its axis. When the coupler as a, whole swings later;- ally the uncoupling bar 5 is caused to slide correspondingly through the enlarged hanger 6 and "through the sleeve 7, the hinged connection between the. uncoupling bar sections 5 and 5 and the ability of the sleeve-supporting member 8 to rotate on the vertical operating staff 9 serving to permit, the uncoupling bar to'aeeonunoclate itself to the various positions of the coupler. When the coupler moves inwardly under buiiing strains or outwardly under the application of draft forces the two sections 5 and 5 of the uncoupling bar el'iange their angular relation in a corresponding manner, as will be readily understood.

We claim:

1. in uncoupling mechanism for car couplers. said mechanism having a slidalole and axially rotatable uncoupling bar extending transversely of the car, a-stati' which is rotatable about an axis forming an angle with th* axis upon which the uncoupling bar is sotatable. means for rotating said staff, and drivingconnections actuated by a rotation of said stall tor etl'ecting" a rotation of said uncoupling bar.

2. An uncoupling; mechanism for car coupiers, said mechanism havingan uncoupling bar which is slidable in the direction of its length and which is provided with a curved crank that is adapted to be operatively connected with lhe lock of the coupler, a rotata ble uncoupling; lever slidably connected to said uncoupling; bar and adapted to rotate the same. a rotatable stall extending at an angle to the uncoupling bar, and means actuated by a rotation of said stall for rotating said uncoupling bar.

3. in uncoupling mechanism for ear couplots said mechanism having an axially rotatable uncoupling bar, a rotatable sleeve in which said uncoupling bar is sliclably mounted, a rotatable stall, a member rotatabl v supported on said stall and in which said sleeve journaled, a driving lug rotatable with said stall, and :1 lug on said sleeve which is engaged and driven by said drivin; lug when the stall is rotated in one dii't'tt ioi'n 1 t. in an uncoupling mechanism, the combination with a pivotally mounted coupler head. o'l an uncoupling bar mounted on and movable with the coupler and having a crank the center of curvature 0t which is substantially in the axis of rotation of the 

